I haven’t been feeling well lately, that’s why I couldn’t write for a while, even though I really wanted to. Today I’m officially sick! I’m catching a cold from my son Daniel. I couldn’t pray vespers (Asheya) or give the bible study so I went home to rest so I can be able to go to church tomorrow and survive a long day.
Sickness is definitely a gift from God (hatchooooooooooo …sneeze!) It made me stay home and write my blog!
A year ago my car was hit by another car from the back. I stopped and looked; it wasn’t too bad and my bumper is decorative any way. The man was going to give me his info in order to repair my car but something told me “forgive and you will be forgiven.” I told the man, “I’m cool it’s not a big deal … have a nice day!” As I meditated on my bumper a couple of days later, I doubted the voice. “Why didn’t I just get his info even if I don’t use it?” I said to myself; but I remembered the sound was very clear “forgive and you will be forgiven.”
Two weeks later, I hit the door of an SUV. I left my info and was waiting to hear from these people. Now it’s a year after and I haven’t heard from them – I guess they forgave me!
Just last week I hit another car when I was parking (that’s why the church decided to dedicate a special parking spot for me next to curb – to avoid constant lawsuits!). Anyway, I left my info again and still haven’t heard from them; maybe they forgave me too!
So I guess the lesson from this is: Do you want to save on car insurance? You don’t have to switch to Geico; just start forgiving!
July 15th is the feast of St. Bishoy (AKA, the star of the desert). Because he used to spend all night in prayer, we celebrate his feast with all-night prayer. It’s amazing how we struggle to make it once or twice a year and such people used to do it all the time. It’s definitely their love for the Lord that was behind it. If we just discover His love for us we would definitely reciprocate it. God’s love must be the root of our prayers, sacrifices … I mean every thing we do.
It doesn’t matter how much we can do but what it matters how much love we put in what we do – Mother Theresa
Today’s Q.T. is still insisting on waiting on God till He comes. “To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Heb 9:28
Bishop Paul was talking to us, group of people, last night also about waiting on God. apparently it’s a big topic! how long can you wait on Him in prayer? Till you get tired … till you have to leave … or tell you hear Him. How eager are we?
suggested book: Waiting on God by Andrew Murray
Yesterday’s Quiet Time was so powerful (Acts 16:16-34)! St. Paul had the Roman Citizenship that could have saved him from beatings and jail and yet he never opened his mouth or mentioned it. He preferred to wait on God to save him not his power, position or people. He preferred to be beaten and imprisoned over saving himself by his own power. That’s why God did a great miracle and opened the doors of the jail for him; He even saved people through this experience. Had he claimed his rights as a Roman citizen he wouldn’t have experienced God’s power and miracle. We need to learn to sit still and wait on God even before we open our mouth, before defending ourselves, before solving problems OUR way. Waiting on God to do things His way at His own timing. We often loose great opportunities seeing God’s miracles because we don’t wait on Him. There is always human solutions and godly solution to every problem; Godly solution shall come by waiting on God NOT by forcing our agenda on Him.
The first and biggest miracle of Christianity will remain to be “the changed lives”. Only Christ can turn Saul to Paul, a tax collector to an apostle and a criminal to a saint. No other power or religion on earth can do that; therefore the changed lives will remain to be the biggest miracle of Christianity.
Since Holy Week I have noticed a lot of changes in the lives of many people including myself. Even the theme of this past Holy Week was “Changed lives” without any one planning it; it was totally His plan. One of the greatest privileges and blessings of being a priest is to witness the change in people’s lives.
May be you are one of them! When is the last time you had a drastic change in your life? May be it’s about time! So I invite you to listen to ALL the sermons of this past Holy Week, in order. These were not my words or Abouna Anthony’s; they were the words of the Holy Spirit to His children.
This blog would have been very different if it was written a year ago. God has done a lot of positive changes in my life lately; specifically the past year. I thought I am something but He humbled me with great gentleness to show me that I’m nothing. He didn’t strike me with sickness or trial but He put amazing people in my life. The missionaries!
Someone gave me a book about the life of George Muller (a missionary in the 19th century) …this book made me decide to go to a mission trip to Africa last November. Over there I saw missionaries in action. I came back with great zeal and read more about more missionaries: Sadhu Sunder Singh, Amy Carmichael, Correy Ten Boom, Lillian Trasher and the best of them all Brother Yun (the heavenly man) from China. These people shared their faith through their blood …they made me feel that I’m worldly, slothful, spoiled and cold spiritually! You can’t read their lives and continue to live the same way.
If you are like me (one year ago) living in your comfort zone, think that you are ok, not doing any thing extraordinary for God or even stagnant in you spiritual life I would encourage you to read their bios.
Thanks be to our gracious Lord who is long suffering and compassionate … He is so patient with us until we come back to our senses.
Definitely I felt God wants me to start this blog or else I wouldn’t have done it! It’s not about me it’s about His love for me that I want to share. God has blessed me with so many blessings in life that I always wanted to share but never knew how. Blog is the mean not the goal! Whatever He did with me I will share …whatever He puts in my life I will share. You better believe there is a ton; I don’t know even where to start!
Please pray for me that I can commit since this is time consuming as I heard.
